A few days into training his ki control, Tundra had cooled off from the attempt on his life and wondered if he could unlock more of his mana by now. His mana pathways should certainly be durable enough by now.
But what happened was strange. At first, pulling out more hurt a bit, but then he got used to it and pulled more out. It felt as if he was burning, but only for a moment before the feeling went away.
And this continued, the burning lasting longer and feeling more intense each time he pulled more out, until it was too much for him to continue, being able to take out a little more than half of what the star inside him produced.
Tundra opened his eyes, his body visibly steaming from the strain. He needed to endure, even if it was only so that he wouldn't need to go through that pain again.
Looking around, Tundra noticed a strange burning aura around his body, boiling the sweat coming from him into steam. Picking up a rock—or attempting to—it crumbled as he put a bit of strength into his grip.
His body had grown stronger. Tundra huffed. He'd need to get used to his power all over again.
Almost as if on cue, a Saiyan woman flew over, seemingly nervous.
"I... I saw the fliers. It doesn't matter how strong I am, right?"
Tundra looked over. The young woman was weak; he'd felt more power in nurseries, and if he had to give her a power level, she wouldn't even have 400.
"No, power is irrelevant. I'm going to guess you'll be the only one, am I right?"
The young woman nodded. Everyone else she saw seemed to hate the idea. They didn't need it like she did.
"Yeah, they... most of them weren't on board already, and the recent news pushed the rest away," she said, referring to the palace's destruction.
Tundra stared at her for a moment in thought.
"And why did you choose to continue? Surely it wasn't the promise of a bit of money?"
The young woman gulped. That wasn't it. She hated how weak she was. She's a warrior, but her body couldn't keep up with her. She needed whatever power it would give her.
"No... I... I need to be strong, even if only a little bit stronger. I don't want to be looked down on anymore."
Tundra nodded. There really would be only one reason a Saiyan would agree to being the most tested in history.
"I do not have the ability nor the tools to begin the testing. Stay here or don't. My ship is going to land soon."
Tundra closed his eyes, feeling his ki and mana mingling. His mana had risen to the point where his ki stopped suppressing it through the channels. Maybe that's why his body got so much more powerful.
He'd have to be careful when touching anything for the time being. He didn't want to destroy his own ship.
The young woman just stood there, not knowing what to do while waiting. She'd like to strike up a conversation, anything to ease the boredom, but she didn't want to die yet. Ultimately, she just fidgeted awkwardly.
While meditating, Tundra could feel her fidgeting vividly, and the more he tried not to focus on it, the more it was on his mind, making him feel it even more vividly.
"You... attack me with full force," Tundra said as he stood, opening his eyes. If she wouldn't stop fidgeting, then he'd simply need to exhaust her.
The young woman paused, wondering if he was testing her or not, before ultimately giving in to the one thing she knew how to do best: fight.
She threw her first punch, getting blocked by Tundra's finger, but she didn't let up and kept attacking. Her hits getting blocked didn't deter her; it only made her try harder.
Eventually, Tundra noticed how the ki in her strikes kept getting larger. It was a negligible increase per hit, but for opponents at her level, it could give her an interesting advantage. It's a shame that her talent had to be so abysmal.
Eventually, Tundra blitzed past her, lifting his arm and chopping at her, missing her by a bit. Yet the wind pressure cut at her arm, leaving a slight wound. He didn't doubt that a Saiyan could heal that easily.
Tundra watched the Saiyan pant in exhaustion in satisfaction. She would no longer be fidgeting now that her energy was this drained.
He sighed before looking up. He could see his ship steadily descending. Looks like he wouldn't have a moment of rest.
"Come with me."
The Saiyan stood up immediately, almost tripping on nothing before balancing herself with her tail.
Tundra looked back for a moment before flying to where his ship was descending.
A minute passed before his ship landed. Heading inside with the Saiyan, he met up with the researchers.
"Find out everything about her body, from how she behaves in battle to how her genetics look."
The researchers nodded. Thankfully, nothing required a medical professional, but that still made a large list of tests that would take at least a day.
They all went to set everything up. The Saiyan felt a bit of dread at what he mentioned last. This was going to be a lot, but maybe it could help her break through a barrier in her power.
"Then... is this... Will you be watching? I'm Rhuba, by the way."
Tundra nodded. In truth, he simply had nothing better to do, but he'd be damned if he'd let her know that.
"Of course I will."